Veterinary Medicine

Find out about studying Veterinary Medicine in the University Undergraduate Prospectus.

 

Veterinary Medicine at Wolfson

There are many good reasons for choosing to read Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge. Our course is very practical, with plenty of animal contact from the beginning of the first year all the way through to the lecture-free final year. This is underpinned by an unrivalled high quality scientific education which equips you uniquely to problem-solve in veterinary practice or in whatever future career you chose.

The key to being a skilled vet is combining practical skills with excellent grounding in the science underlying practice. You will be fully immersed in our environment of cutting-edge biomedicine, and experience shows that this makes our graduates better equipped to deal with the high pace of change in veterinary medicine, and poised for a wide variety of flexible and challenging careers.

A major feature of the Cambridge course is its practical emphasis. From your first week, you learn handling and management skills in all the major domestic species, and subsequently with amphibians, reptiles, birds and ‘exotic’ mammals. Our students have the use of superb facilities at the Clinical School – bespoke consultation and examination facilities, imaging and surgical suites, a linear accelerator for radiotherapy, clinical pathology and post mortem labs, also a Clinical Skills Lab is available 24 hours a day for students in all years.

The unique opportunities provided by a Cambridge veterinary education are invaluable in our graduates’ future career progression and flexibility. Indeed, external feedback confirms that our graduates are better equipped to deal with unexpected clinical situations and the high pace of change in veterinary medicine.

The Cambridge Veterinary School is the smallest UK vet school, training around 70 each year, and this is central to our students’ experience. Right from the start, you will be in very small dissection, animal handling, and lab practical groups. You will also benefit from Cambridge’s unique ‘supervision’ small group teaching system – which gives you regular opportunities to consolidate your learning and follow up on your interests. Later in the course, the small class size become even more valuable. Our clinical rotation groups are tiny, which ensures a high caseload, and thus more experience and confidence by the time you qualify.

Almost all Cambridge vet graduates go into veterinary practice when they graduate, and many stay for the rest of their careers - in farm, equine, small animal and exotics practice, in the UK and across the world. Those who decide to do further training, or study for qualification as a veterinary specialist find that the unparalleled scientific and clinical training they received at Cambridge puts them in an excellent position to further their career. 

 

Admissions Information

The University's entry requirements for Veterinary Medicine can be found here.

 

Overview

We are looking for students who are highly motivated and enthusiastic about Veterinary Medicine and have the academic ability to learn very fast in a demanding course. Candidates should have strong scientific interest: unlike many other Vet Schools, where the emphasis is placed very much on small animal practice etc. the Cambridge course is ideal for those who, while wishing to become practicing vets, are also interested in the study of disease and in research developments.

You may wish to do some online research about the profession, and one resource we particularly recommend is this MOOC prepared collaboratively by all UK vet schools.

 

Qualifications

Applicants must have an A-Level (or equivalent) in Chemistry, and one in Biology/Human Biology, Physics, or Mathematics.  Most successful applicants have at least three science/mathematics A Levels with grades A*AA or higher.  Affiliated applicants additionally need a good BA Honours Degree with at least a 2.1 grade.

Detailed information can be found in the University Undergraduate Prospectus entry.

 

Healthcare experience

We realise that some of you may be having trouble gaining work experience prior to your application for Veterinary Medicine, but our message to you is do not worry. Although we recommend it, we do not require you to gain work experience, and every year we receive applications from candidates who could not secure work experience for logistical or insurance reasons, or who decided to apply for Veterinary Medicine quite late, such that they could not gain experience before the UCAS application deadline or their interview.

Clearly, we would view the current pandemic as a valid reason not to have gained work experience. Lack of work experience for this reason will not affect your chances of being called for interview or made an offer to study Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge. So try to get work experience if it is safe and possible, but please do not worry if you cannot. Certainly, do not put yourself or anyone else at risk to gain work experience.

 

Assessments and Interviews

Applicants should register for the Natural Sciences pre-interview admissions assessment as outlined on the university webpage.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to be interviewed in December. There will be two interviews (each lasting 20-25 minutes) which will be conducted online via Zoom.